Today we chat to director Bali Padda, as the national tour of the critically acclaimed play Guards At The Taj continues taking place around Australia.
"Set in India in 1648, Guards At The Taj follows best friends and guards in Hindustani ruler Shah Jahan’s Imperial Army, Humayun and Babur. Humayun, a sternly loyal second-generation civil servant, feels compelled to follow orders to appease his father, whilst a sensitive and inquisitive Babur is more sceptical," read the play's official synopsis.
"Tasked with standing guard over the newly constructed Taj Mahal on the night before it is revealed to the world, guarding is the last thing on Babur’s mind, leading Humayan with him as instead they bicker, reminisce and daydream.
"Subsequently, when they are both ordered to do the unthinkable, to ensure the beauty of the Taj Mahal is never rivalled, the stoic Humayun and imaginative Babur must confront what loyalty, friendship and following orders truly mean to them."
Bali, congratulations on Guards At The Taj. How did the opportunity to be part of it come about and what drew you to the directorial role?
I had a fabulous time directing this work originally in 2022. The opportunity came about out of a conversation with the creative and executive producer of National Theatre of Parramatta, Joanne Kee, and it was just over a casual catch up that we were having a chat about the industry and about the arts and theatre. At the time, I was working in the screen industry in a corporate role and I mentioned that I had some interest in pursuing theatre directing after doing a little bit of that back in 2017 – I accidentally ended up directing a community queer Bollywood production that I had co-created with some friends.
So that was like my first little dipping my toes into the world of directing and I quite enjoyed it. And so she said that she wanted to program this play Guards At The Taj in their 2021 season, which ended up shifting to 2022 because of COVID, and she thought that I would be a really great fit to be supported as a first time professional director. So that's how it came about.
Bringing it back two years later, is it different this time around? Do you believe audiences will also react differently?
The essence of the work is the same. So the themes that are explored in the work obviously stay the same. The way we depict these characters, engaging with those themes is also pretty much the same, but I have had the opportunity to fine tune some of the aspects of the work.
I think, you know, two/three years ago, I was sort of trying to lean into trying to be a little bit funny and camp, which I love doing in all of my work. But this time around, we got to analyse it and realise with some of those decisions that we made about how these characters might react to a specific moment, or how they behave or act, and was that really in service of the story that the playwright wrote?
So we have tweaked some elements and made some adjustments to it. There's a little bit of change in terms of the set. Obviously, we are touring this show now, it’s not just staying in one place. So it has to be a tour-friendly show – basically become a flat pack piece of giant furniture that travels around in a large truck around the country. So the set looks a little bit different, but essentially the essence of it is still the same.
What are the key themes or issues that audiences can expect the play to explore?
I think this is an opportunity for audiences to dive into exploring these ideas and themes of power and beauty and friendship and the impact of patriarchal, egotistical power and decision makers and their thirst and hunger for their own political or personal agenda – and how that impacts humanity and the beauty of the world, and the beauty of humanity and the beauty of friendship. We see that in this little relationship between these two friends. And with the state of the world going on, I hope that people can reflect on that more through this play.
I definitely wanted to lean into what drew me to this story which was the friendship, the male friendship, and you don't really see much work in terms of many stories about the beauty of male friendship.
While there was once a time when a lack of diversity may have been attributed to an apparent 'lack of POC' in the industry, it feels like that's no longer a valid excuse in 2024. To that point, to see the likes of Akkshey Caplash and Idam Sondhi front and centre in this production is exciting. What was your experience working with them, and nurturing local South Asian talent?
I absolutely adore these two gentlemen. We have basically become like brothers. They feel like two younger brothers. To me, it was a really wonderful experience. It was nice to be moved and touched by the way they auditioned, and then just their generosity and keenness to absorb everything when it came to the process of putting this work together.
We tried lots of different techniques and tips and they were willing to explore everything because they ultimately wanted to deliver this story in the best way possible. And they nailed that, and they're nailing it again this time. It’s really wonderful to be reviving this with them and going on the road with them.
There's a lot of love between them too which is really lovely to experience, and how that love spreads to everyone else that's around in the team, and how they share that love with even the theatre technicians of the theatres that we're dropping into, and people that they're meeting just for a few hours on one day of the performance.
It's really lovely to see them grow. I think they'll become very, potentially famous, highly successful actors. I'm kind of glad that they aren't just yet, because they are still available to do this tour. But I'm hoping that from October onwards, they will hit some high marks for success in their career. I think they're fabulous people.
Your career in arts and entertainment has been varied. For this project, you have the director's hat on. Which do you prefer, directing or acting – and why?
It really depends, to be honest, and it depends on the project. It depends on who I'm working with, but I must say that both of those worlds, both of those roles, actually speak to each other quite closely. So when I'm directing something, I love the opportunity of thinking about how costumes and set and lighting and sound all influence the story that is being depicted on stage or on the screen.
But ultimately, I come down to the story, and I engage with a story because I am an actor and I can direct actors because I can access the language of an actor. And then more recently, I've been going back into acting, actually, since I started directing. I've done a few gigs this year, with one of them being a TV show on ABC that will be coming out next year.
What I really loved about working on that is also my directing skills and my technical skills as a director and a producer, how that informed the way I was able to perform the role, the character that was required, the way that I was able to engage with the questions that I had about the character's journey and what it meant for the overall series that we were filming.
So in terms of what do I prefer at the moment, it's whatever can help pay the mortgage, but it ultimately comes down to what makes me tick when it comes to the story and why I want to engage with it.
The Guards At The Taj tour continues at Joan Sutherland Arts Centre, Penrith (4 – 5 October) and Darwin Entertainment Centre (11 October).